Hawkeye Sports recap: Men's Basketball, Blades wins big, and Barta to the Hall

It was a busy week for Iowa Men's Basketball, Kennedy Blades earned another honor, and former Athletic Director Gary Barta is enshrined. Here are a few stories that made headlines this week.

Men's Basketball hired two new assistant coaches

New Iowa Men's Basketball Head Coach Ben McCollum had a busy week filling out his roster and coaching staff. After adding two new assistant coaches over the past week, McCollum's staff is nearly full.

Connor Wheeler (Drake)

McCollum added Connor Wheeler to his coaching staff after working with him at Drake. Wheeler joins the Hawkeyes staff with eight years of experience.

Before working with McCollum at Drake, Wheeler was an assistant coach for Southeast Missouri State (2022-2024). He helped guide the Redhawks to their first Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Title and first NCAA Tournament berth in over 20 years.

Wheeler also has assistant coaching experience with Southern Illinois (2019-2022), Southern Missouri (2018-2019), and Missouri (2016-2018)

Luke Barnwell (Texas Tech)

On April 9, an elite recruiter, Luke Barnwell, agreed to join Ben McCollum's staff. Barnwell is considered a "home run" hire after his rise up the coaching ranks at Texas Tech.

Branwell is an excellent recruiter and player developer and is credited with developing JT Toppin (2025 Big 12 Player of the Year), Darrion Williams, and Chance McMillian during his time in Lubbock, Texas.

Before joining the college coaching ranks, Barnwell was a successful head coach at prep basketball powerhouse Sunrise Christian Academy. He tallied a 178-28 overall record and coached multiple future Division I players.

Gary Barta is elected to the NACDA Hall of Fame

On Tuesday, April 8, it was announced that former Iowa Athletic Director Gary Barta will be inducted into the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Hall of Fame. Barta is one of eight new inductees for the 2025 class.

The new inductees will be honored at the 60th annual NACDA Affiliates Convention in Orlando, Florida, on July 9.

Barta retired after serving as the University of Iowa Athletics Director for 17 years (2006-2023). Barta was one of the longest-tenured ADs before his retirement in 2023.

Kennedy Blades is named the USA Wrestling Wrestler of the Year

Iowa wrestler Kennedy Blades had a dream 2024-2025 season. After winning a silver medal at the Paris Olympics, Blades joined the Hawkeyes for her first collegiate season.

The junior dominated college wrestling in her first collegiate season. Blades went a perfect 25-0 and capped off the season with a win in the 160-pound championship match at the National Wrestling Championships.

Blades tallied 23 technical falls and two pins en route to her perfect season. Only two of her matches reached the second period, including a match where she beat her opponent in 38 second.

After a dominating season, Blades was named the USA Women's College Wrestler of the Year on April 8.

Payton Sandfort and Drew Thelwell earn team honors

Two Hawkeye seniors earned team recognition after a disappointing end to the Iowa basketball season. Payton Sandfort and Drew Thelwell earned team efforts for achievements not measured by stats.

Payton Sandfort (Chris Street Award)

Payton Sandfort earned the 2025 Chris Street Award following the 2024-2025 season. The Chris Street Award is awarded annually to the Hawkeye player who best exemplifies the spirit, enthusiasm, and intensisy of former Hawkeye Chris Street.

Street's life was tragically taken in a car accident in 1993, midway through his senior season.

Sandfort finished the season averaging 16.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.9 assists. He scored 20-plus points in 14 games and led the Big Ten in three-point field goal percentage (34 percent). After the season, he earned an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention.

Drew Thelwell (Kenny Arnold Spirit Award)

After his lone season with the Hawkeyes, senior Drew Thelwell earned the Kenny Arnold Spirit Award. The Kenny Arnold Spirit Award is given to the Hawkeye player who best embodies Arnold's character, leadership, courage, determination, and poise.

The award is named after Iowa graduate Kenny Arnold, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor shortly after graduation. He battled the disease for over 30 years, but passed away in 2019.

Before joining the Hawkeyes, Thelwell was a star at Morehead State. During his senior season at Morehead State, he averaged 10.0 points and 6.2 assists. He accumulated 1,086 points, 425 assists, 354 rebounds, and 138 steals in 143 career games.

In his only season in Iowa City, Thelwell was a fan favorite and embodied all the characteristics of Kenny Arnold.